Wire twister



J. H. AKARD.

WIRE TWISTER.

APPLIQATION FILED OCT. 18. 1920.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEETI J. H. AKARD.

WIRE TWISTER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18 1920.

1,406,? 1 5. Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

411m v WW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. AKARD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

WIRE TWISTER.

T 0 aZZ w loom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs H. AKARD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of San F rancisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVire Twisters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved tool.

for twisting wire for various purposes, such as the wires to fasten the cribbing for concrete walls, baling wires etc., and it aims toprovide a compact, light weight, efiicient tool of this character of simple construction and possessing but few parts which are easy to manipulate during operation of the tool, and to provide a tool which is adjustable for use under different circumstances and for twisting the ends of wires as well as their intermediate portions.

..My invention contemplates the employment of a pair of gears, one being provided for rotating the other, the driven gear be ing adapted to engage the wire to be twisted, and it is another purpose of .my invention to provide means movable to a position which will permit engagement of the wire with the driven gear and which will act when so moved to automatically lock the gears against rotation whereby the engagement of the wire is facilitated. Further, it is a. purpose of myv invention to provide means to lock the gears against rotation at any time the operator of the tool may desire to do so during the operation of twisting, and to provide novel means for controlling this selectively operable locking means. 7

Still further, it is a purpose of my invention to provide means of an adjustable nature for holding the tool against undesirable movements during its operation, and to also provide means for holding the wires properly positioned with respect to the tool during' the operation of engaging them with the driven gear.

Other and more detailed purposes of my invention will be set forth more particularly hereinafter, and in this connection it is desired to have it understood that while one specific embodiment of my invention is herein disclosed, it is capable of embodiment in various other structures, the present disclosure being merely intended to disclose the essential features of my invention in a Specification'of Letters Patent. Pate t d F 14 1922 Application filed October 18, 1920.

Serial No. 417,546.

' tool F 1, a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5, a detail perspective of the driven or twister gear; and V Fig. 6, a detail perspective showing the manner of using the tool for twistin the ends of wires. c 5

Referring to the drawings in detail, ;10 designates a member, preferably metallic and formed in any desired manner into somewhat flat and elongated shape to produce the body or support forthe different parts of my improved tool. This member has formed therein a central opening 11 and near one end an opening 12, while its other end is slightly reduced in size and provided with a relatively small threaded opening 13.

Rotatably engaging the openings 11 and 12 are cylindrical bosses 14 and 15 on relatively meshing larger and smaller driving and driven gears 16 and 17 respectively, which gears are arranged with their inner faces abutting the member 10 and secured against longitudinal movement relatively to said member by means of discs 18 and 19 respectively fastened to the bosses 1 1 and 15 and overlapping the face of the member 10 around the openings 11. and 12, opposite to the face against which the gears abut.

Fixed to the outer face of the gear 16 is a cylindrical extension 20 having an axial opening or bore therein which alines with similar axial openings or bores in the gear and the disc 18, and said extension, gear and disc are additionally provided with alined slots which open into the axial bores therein to produce a key way 21 coextensive in length with these combined parts.

Slidably extending through the gear and its associated parts aforementioned is a shaft or arbor 22, provided at one end with a conical point or projection 23 and at its other end with an angular extension 2 L whereby a bit stock or similar, implement may be associated therewith for rotating the same. At longitudinally spaced intervals said arbor is provided with annular grooves 25, and the member 10 has fixed thereto an inherently yieldable arm 26 bent so as to engage with any one of these grooves to maintain said arbor in any desired longitudinal adjustment with respect to the gear 16 and extension 20, the yieldable nature of said arm permitting it to be readily withdrawn from one of said grooves to permit the arbor to be moved or adjusted longitudinally and then springing back into another groove when the desired adjustment has been made. Said arbor is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced lugs 27, a pair of which engage with the slot or keyway 21 in any adjusted position of the arbor so that irrespective of its adjustment its rotation will result in rotation of the gears.

. One tooth 28 of the gear 17 is sunk somewhat below the other teeth of this gear, and one face of the member 10, adjacent said gear, is recessed as at 29, which recess opens or extends into the opening 12, and may be closed or opened by a swinging lock member 30, pivoted at 31 to the member 10 and carrying a. spring latch 82 having a protuberance thereon adapted to snap intoa recess in the member 10 to maintain the lock member in locked or closing position with respect to the recess 29. On the end of the lock member 30, adjacent to the pivot 31, is a lug 33; the ratio of the gears 16 and 17 is two to one, and therefore I provide in the inner face of the gear 16 a pair of diametrically opposite recesses 34 one or the other of which will be engaged by the lug 33 when the tooth 28' of the gear 17 is in alinement with the recess 29 and the lock member is swung upon its pivot to uncover saidrecess, any swinging movement of said lock member at any time other than when the tooth 28 is in alinement with the recess 29 being prevented by the disc 19.

The operation of my device as so far described is apparent and is as follows z- -lVith. the tooth 28 of the gear 17 alined with the recess 29, a pair of strands of "wire to be relatively twisted are placed in said recess one to either side of said tooth, the lug 83 on the lock member being in engagement with one of the recesses 34 preventing movement of the gears during this operation. hen the strands of wire have been properly positioned the lock member is swung to closing position which at the same time releases the gears. The conical lug23 being placed against any convenient support and a desired adjustment of the arbor with respect to the gears having been made to locate the twisting device in a convenient position, rotation is imparted to the arbor by means of a bit stock or like implement and the gear 17 thus rotated. As said gear turns the ed strands removed by simply releasing them from engagement with the tooth.

In order that the ends of wire strands may be relatively twisted I provide the es.- tension 20 with a pair of oppositely disposed slots 35 opening through the outer end of said extension, and by adjustingthe arbor so that its end carrying the lug 23 will lie within said extension, the ends of the wire strands may be engaged with said slots as illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, whereupon rotation of the arbor will effect the desired'relative twisting of the strands as is obvious.

Into the opening 13 Ithread a rod 36 which preferably extends substantially parallel to thearbor 22, and upon this rod I slidably engage a hook member 37 which may be adjusted along the rod so as to be engaged with any convenient structure to itSSlSt'lll holding the tool against undesirable movements during twisting operations.

In order to further increase the efliciency of my tool I slid-ably mount upon the arbor 22the intermediate portion of a second hook member 38 which includes a manipulating handle 39 anda hooked bill or neck 40 disposed so as to engage the strands of wire and hold them against flexure during the operations of applying them to the tooth 28 and twisting them. This hook member is provided with a pivoted latch 41 which may be moved into one or another of the annular recesses 25 in the arbor to secure the hook member in its adjusted position upon the arbor.

Means in addition to the lug 33 on the lock member 30 has been provided for locking the gears against rotation at any time during a twisting operation that locking of the gears may be desired. This means consists of a lever pivoted intermediately as at 42 to the member 10 and including a handle 43 at one end and a lug 44 at its other end which, upon swinging of the lever upon its Pivot may be caused to engage an opening 45, one or more of which are provided in the inner face of the gear 16. A leaf spring 46 secured by the fastener for the arm 26, engages the lever and exerts a force normally urging the lug 44 into one or the other of said openings, but said lever may be secured in a position with the lug 44 retracted with respect to the inner face of the gear by means of an angular device 47 pivoted to the member 10 and including an arm 48 underlying the lever and having a notch with which the lever may be engaged when in a position to retract the lug 44. The plane of pivotal movement of the device 47 is substantially at right angles to the plane of pivotal movement of the lever so that by swinging the device 47 upon its pivot it may be moved into or out of latching engagement with the lever. Normally it is urged in a direction to latch the lever by a leaf spring 49 carried by the rod 36.

I claim 1. A wire twisting device including an arbor provided with longitudinally spaced grooves, wire twisting mechanism carried by and longitudinally adjustable along said arbor, and means on said mechanism engageable with a selected groove to secure the mechanism in adjusted position along the arbor.

2. A wire twisting device including an arbor, provided with longitudinally spaced grooves, wire twisting mechanism carried by and longitudinally adjustable along said arbor, a lever for holding the wires to be twisted against flexure, said lever being longitudinally adjustable along said arbor, and devices on the lever and mechanism, respectively, engageable interchangeably with selected grooves in the arbor to hold the lever and mechanism in adjusted positions.

3. A device of the character described comprising a support, wire twisting means carried by said support, a pivoted lever slidably adjustable with respect to said support for holding the wires to be twisted against flexure, and means to secure said lever against sliding movement when in an adjusted position.

4-. A device of the character described comprising a support, wire twisting mechanism carried by said support, a pivoted lever slidably adjustable with respect to said support for holding the wires to be twisted against fiexure, and a latch pivoted to said lever and movable into a groove in a part of the twisting mechanism to secure said lever against sliding movement when in adjusted position.

5. A wire twisting device comprising an arbor, and wire twisting mechanism longitudinally adjustable with respect to said arbor and operated by rotation of the arbor.

6. A wire twisting device comprising an arbor, wire twisting mechanism slidably adjustable on said arbor, said arbor being provided with a plurality of annular grooves, and an inherently yieldable arm engageable with one of said grooves to secure the mechanism against sliding movement with respect to said arbor, for the purpose stated.

7. A wire twisting device comprising an arbor, wire twisting mechanism longitudinally adjustable along and operated by rotation of the arbor, and means to retain said mechanism in predetermined longitudinally adjusted positions.

'8. A wire twisting device comprising a support, a gear on the support, means for rotating the gear, said support having a recess to permit engagement of the wires to be twisted with a tooth of said gear, and a member for closing said recess against the removal of wires therethrough, said member when moved to open the recess engaging directly with the gear to prevent rotation thereof, for the purpose set forth. 9. A wire twisting device comprising a support, a gear on the support, means for rotating the gear, said support being recessed to permit engagement of the wires to be twisted with a tooth of said gear, and a member controlling the opening and closing of said recess to thereby control engagement and disengagement of the wires to be twisted with and from said gear, said member acting to prevent rotation of the gear when in opening relation to the recess and permitting rotation of the gear when in closed relation to the recess.

10. A wire twisting device comprising a support, a gear on the support, said support having a recess permiting engagement of the wires to be twisted with a tooth of said gear, a second gear for rotating the first gear, said second gear having a recess therein, means for rotating said gears, a member controlling the opening and closing of said recess to thereby control engagement and disengagement of the wires to be twisted with and from said gear, and a lug on said member engaging the recess of the second gear and acting to prevent rotation of both gears when said member is in opening re lation with respect to the recess in the support.

11. A wire twisting device including an arbor, wire twisting mechanism longitudinally adjustable along said arbor, a rod extending from said mechanism in parallelism with said arbor, and a hook member longitudinally adjustable along said rod whereby the same may be disposed in operative relation to said mechanism in difierent adjusted positions of the latter.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JAMES H. AKARD. 

